Avgolemono (pronounced av-gho-LE-mo-no) is a lemon and egg sauce popular in Greece. Here in the US, though, avgolemono typically refers to a rich chicken soup scented with a generous amount of lemon juice, which is what this recipe is all about! My greek lemon chicken soup (also called kotosoupa avgolemono) is a delightfully satisfying mixture of rice, chicken, broth, and, of course, a rich and silky egg-lemon sauce. It is just the thing to warm you up on chilly nights or to provide comfort if you’re under the weather.
This avgolemono soup recipe is also a convenient weeknight meal because you’ll use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it from scratch. So, if you’re looking for a dinner you can throw together in a flash, give this classic Greek chicken soup a try! For more satisfying soup recipes, try my white chicken chili recipe, homemade tortellini soup, and chicken tortilla soup recipe!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Rice — lots of options for what kind of rice you could use. Jasmine rice, basmati rice, plain white rice, or arborio rice all work very well. Or change it up and make avgolemono soup with an equal amount of orzo pasta. Just be aware that orzo cooks much faster than rice: It will take 7 to 10 minutes to become tender versus rice, which takes around 20 minutes to cook.
Chicken stock — opt for low-sodium chicken stock so the avgolemono soup isn’t too salty (especially if you’re using a rotisserie chicken). Or use homemade chicken broth.
Eggs — eggs are a vital part of this authentic Greek lemon chicken soup. They add flavor and body to the simple chicken broth. The egg yolks add richness, and the egg whites help thicken the broth.
Lemon juice — another vital ingredient, fresh lemon juice (NOT the bottled stuff, please!) gives avgolemono its signature tang and adds plenty of brightness.
Chicken — Shredded cooked chicken is the simplest option, as well as the most time-saving. To ensure the chicken is tender and juicy, use shredded rotisserie chicken (yes, the whole chicken, as both light and dark meat work great!). You could also cook up some chicken breasts or thighs separately and toss those in after shredding. Or boil a chicken in water. The bonus of this option is you also create a homemade chicken stock at the same time. But this takes a lot longer, which might not be ideal for a busy weeknight. A shredded rotisserie chicken is my recommendation to keep things quick and easy.
How to Make Avgolemono
1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the chopped onions. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the onions are very soft and starting to brown.
2. Add the minced garlic and uncooked rice and stir for 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Pour chicken broth into the pot and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender. This will take about 20 minutes.
4. Temper the eggs (this isn’t as complicated as it sounds, promise!). Grab a heat-safe medium bowl and add 3 whole eggs and lemon juice. Whisk together. Continuing to whisk, slowly pour in about a cup of the hot broth straight out of the Dutch oven. Your avgolemono sauce is now ready!
5. Add the egg mixture to the pot while stirring the soup.
6. Drop in the shredded chicken. Increase the heat to medium and remove the pot from the heat the moment the soup starts to bubble. This will take just a few minutes. Serve the hot soup immediately with chopped fresh dill on top.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Temper the eggs so they don’t scramble. To temper the eggs in this avgolemono recipe, whisk together room temperature eggs, lemon juice, and hot broth straight out of the cooking pot. Add the broth in slowly and be sure to whisk the entire time to prevent the eggs from cooking. The egg and broth mixture should be approximately the same temperature of the soup in the Dutch oven. You can be certain that the temperatures somewhat match by using a thermometer. Tempering the eggs ensures they won’t scramble when you pour them into the soup pot.
- When in doubt, use a hand mixer. If you are worried about the eggs curdling while you whisk in the broth, grab a trusty handheld mixer. This will make it easier to keep a consistent mixing speed while you also focus on controlling how fast you pour the broth into the bowl.
- If you’re not a big lemon fan, hold the lemon juice until later. People enjoy different levels of tang, so if you think the soup will be too lemony, you could leave out the lemon juice when you’re tempering the eggs. Then add lemon juice to taste after you add the tempered eggs to the large pot. This is a deviation from a traditional avgolemono recipe, but it works, especially if everyone in your household enjoys varying degrees of “lemony-ness”.
- Add more vegetables. If you’re trying to up your veggie intake, this creamy soup is a great way to do so! You can add chopped carrots, celery, and sliced mushrooms (cook these along with the onions), or stir in some baby spinach at the very end.
- Use more fresh herbs. Instead of only using fresh dill, you can also use fresh Italian parsley for a peppery bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Greek lemon chicken soup is gluten-free. Rice does not contain gluten, and all the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free as well. If you decide to use orzo instead of rice, then the recipe will no longer be gluten-free.
This thick, creamy soup is a hearty meal by itself, thanks to the rice and chicken. But if you’re looking for a salad to start, whip up my easy Greek salad. You could also slice a loaf of crusty artisan bread to dunk into the rich lemon chicken soup.
When the avgolemono cools to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To reheat, pour the soup into a pot on the stove and heat gently over medium-low. Using too much heat will cause the eggs to scramble. If the soup has thickened too much, add more broth to thin it out.
Yes, you can freeze avgolemono! Since there is no dairy, avgolemono soup freezes very well. Once the soup is at room temperature, pour it into a freezer-safe container and freeze. It will be good in the freezer for about 3 months.
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If you’ve tried this Avgolemono recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Avgolemono
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup white rice (100g)
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (960ml)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (60ml)
- 4 cups shredded chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
- Chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and the edges are starting to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and rice and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth, and add the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk together the eggs and lemon juice in a medium heat-safe bowl. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot broth mixture.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot while stirring. Stir in the shredded chicken. Increase the heat to medium and remove from heat when soup just starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Serve hot and topped with dill.
Notes
- Temper the eggs so they don’t scramble. To temper the eggs in this avgolemono recipe, whisk together room temperature eggs, lemon juice, and hot broth straight out of the cooking pot. Add the broth in slowly and be sure to whisk the entire time to prevent the eggs from cooking. The egg and broth mixture should be approximately the same temperature of the soup in the Dutch oven. You can be certain that the temperatures somewhat match by using a thermometer. Tempering the eggs ensures they won’t scramble when you pour them into the soup pot.
- When in doubt, use a hand mixer. If you are worried about the eggs curdling while you whisk in the broth, grab a trusty handheld mixer. This will make it easier to keep a consistent mixing speed while you also focus on controlling how fast you pour the broth into the bowl.
- If you’re not a big lemon fan, hold the lemon juice until later. People enjoy different levels of tang, so if you think the soup will be too lemony, you could leave out the lemon juice when you’re tempering the eggs. Then add lemon juice to taste after you add the tempered eggs to the large pot. This is a deviation from a traditional avgolemono recipe, but it works, especially if everyone in your household enjoys varying degrees of “lemony-ness”.
- Add more vegetables. If you’re trying to up your veggie intake, this creamy soup is a great way to do so! You can add chopped carrots, celery, and sliced mushrooms (cook these along with the onions), or stir in some baby spinach at the very end.
- Use more fresh herbs. Instead of only using fresh dill, you can also use fresh Italian parsley for a peppery bite.
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